East Chicago Death Index

East Chicago death index records can be obtained through two offices. The East Chicago City Health Department handles local vital records, and the Lake County Health Department in Crown Point also maintains death records for the entire county. This gives East Chicago residents more options than most Indiana cities when it comes to requesting death certificates. This page covers both offices, the fees, eligibility rules, and the full process for searching the East Chicago death index.

East Chicago City Health Department

East Chicago is one of the few Indiana cities that has its own city health department handling vital records. The East Chicago City Health Department is at 100 W. Chicago Ave., East Chicago, IN 46312. Call (219) 391-8467 for questions. You can also reach them by email at dburns@eastchicago.com. This office handles death certificates for deaths that occurred in East Chicago.

Walk-in service is available during business hours. Bring a valid photo ID and the name and date of death of the person you need a record for. The staff will search the East Chicago death index and issue a certified copy if they find the record. Having a city-level office means East Chicago residents can get records locally without driving to the county seat. This is a real convenience, since Crown Point is about 20 miles south of East Chicago.

If you cannot reach the city office or if they do not have the record you need, the Lake County Health Department is the backup. Most Indiana cities do not have their own vital records office, so having two places to go is a clear advantage for East Chicago residents.

Lake County Health Department

The Lake County Health Department also keeps death records for East Chicago and all other Lake County cities. Their office is at 2900 W. 93rd Ave., Crown Point, IN 46307. Call (219) 755-3650 for questions. The vital records division handles birth and death certificates for the entire county.

If you need a death record and the East Chicago city office cannot help, the Lake County office in Crown Point is your next stop. Walk-in service is available there as well. The county office has a larger archive since they cover all of Lake County, not just one city. For older records or for deaths that happened in other parts of the county, the Crown Point office may be the better choice.

The screenshot above shows the Lake County Health Department website that covers services for East Chicago and all other Lake County cities.

Getting East Chicago Death Certificates

Walk-in service at either the city or county office is the fastest way. For the city office, go to 100 W. Chicago Ave. in East Chicago. For the county office, drive to 2900 W. 93rd Ave. in Crown Point. Both offices will search the death index and issue a certified copy if the record exists.

Mail orders work too. Send a written request with the full name of the deceased, date of death, your name, address, your relationship to the person, and a copy of your photo ID. Include payment. You can mail to either office, though the county office is the more common destination for mail-in requests. Under IC 16-37-1-11, search fees in Indiana are not refundable. You pay for the search whether or not a record is found. One certified copy comes with the fee if the record exists.

Online orders through VitalChek add a service fee on top of the base cost. Call VitalChek at (866) 601-0891 for phone orders any time. This works well if neither office is easy to reach in person.

Note: Confirm current fees with the office you plan to use, since the city and county may charge different amounts.

East Chicago Death Index Eligibility

Indiana law limits who can get a certified death certificate. Under IC 16-37-1-10, both the city and county offices will check your ID and relationship before releasing a record. This is state law, not a local rule. It applies the same at either office.

Eligible requesters include parents, grandparents, siblings age 18 or older, adult children and grandchildren, the current spouse, aunts, uncles, attorneys for the family, and court-appointed guardians. You need one primary photo ID such as a driver's license, passport, or state-issued ID. Two secondary documents are also required. Acceptable secondary ID includes a signed Social Security card, voter registration card, or current vehicle registration.

Genealogy and East Chicago Death Records

Lake County death records go back to 1882. East Chicago grew quickly in the early 1900s as industry expanded in northwest Indiana. The death index from that era covers a large number of people who moved to the area for work. Older death certificates often include birthplace, parents' names, and occupation. This makes them useful for genealogy, especially for tracing immigrant families who settled in the industrial cities along Lake Michigan.

For genealogy access, the person on the record must have been dead at least 75 years and you need proof of death. The Indiana State Library at 315 W. Ohio Street in Indianapolis has a genealogy collection with over 40,000 items. Call 317-232-3689 for help. Indiana's electronic death registration system under IC 16-37-1-3.1 has made recent records faster to file and search.

State Resources for East Chicago

The Indiana Department of Health keeps East Chicago death records from 1900 forward. The state fee is $8.00 per search with $4.00 for extra copies. State Form 49606 is the mail-in application. Send to IDOH, P.O. Box 7125, Indianapolis, IN 46206-7125. Call (317) 233-2700 for state questions. The state order page has forms and instructions.

For deaths before 1900, the Lake County office is the only source because county records start in 1882. After 1900, you have three choices for East Chicago records: the city health department, the county health department, or the state. Under Indiana's public records act (IC 5-14-3), the public has broad rights to government records, but death certificates still carry eligibility requirements you must meet.

Nearby Cities

Several cities near East Chicago have their death records handled through Lake County or nearby county health departments. If you need records from another area, check the links below.